El Pollo Loco franchise research

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Investment sourceFDD p.33 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$20,000 to $40,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

5% · 5% of monthly Net Sales, paid on the 10th day after end of each sales month

Marketing contribution

5% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

Learning Management System (Pollo Zone) $19/month/Restaurant; computer systems maintenance/support fee varies (billed monthly)

Other fees

Remote Ordering fee 1.3% of Gross Sales/order; Loco Rewards loyalty fee 1.35% of Gross Sales/order (+$0.50/order for delivery); Third-Party Delivery fees 15%-24% of Gross Sales/order plus 1.35% Olo fee

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$25,000 to $100,000 to cover payroll, inventory, supplies, utilities and other operating expenses for the first 3 months, including training-related employee costs

Fees sourceFDD p.19 ↗

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Investment sourceFDD p.33 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

average and median annual Net Sales per restaurant, broken out by drive-thru vs. non-drive-thru and by sales quartile (tier)

Reporting period

Fiscal Year 2025 (December 26, 2024 - December 31, 2025)

Sample

491 EPL Restaurants open the entire FY2025 (319 Franchised Restaurants + 172 Franchisor Restaurants)

Reported average

$2,236,257

Reported median

$2,099,233

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.85 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

325

Year-end outlets

328

Net change

+3

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

11

Terminations

0

Non-renewals

6

Other closures

1

Reacquisitions

1

Transfers

21

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

Unit growth sourceFDD p.91 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

8 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$1,882,550

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

6 loans

Historical charge-off share

0.00%

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

0 / 17

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median loan amounts are financing context, not startup cost. The median window is separate from the seasoned charge-off cohort.

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Questions before you invest

How much does El Pollo Loco franchise cost?

standard (Franchise Agreement): $793,750 to $2,685,500; Development Agreement (per-restaurant fee, excludes build-out): Not captured (invalid or incomplete range) These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $20,000 to $40,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.33 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do El Pollo Loco owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: average and median annual Net Sales per restaurant, broken out by drive-thru vs. non-drive-thru and by sales quartile (tier). Sample: 491 EPL Restaurants open the entire FY2025 (319 Franchised Restaurants + 172 Franchisor Restaurants). Period: Fiscal Year 2025 (December 26, 2024 - December 31, 2025).

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.85 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for El Pollo Loco?

0.00%; numerator / denominator: 0 / 17. Historical 7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals; CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100, snapshot 2026-06-30. This is not a franchise failure probability. Median SBA loan: $1,882,550; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 6 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗